. >> following the loss, kerry immersed himself in foreign policy. >> we stand adjourned. >> now the chairman of the senate foreign relations committee, he's been an unofficial envoy for president obama helping ease tension with president karzai in afghanistan and helping mend strained relations with pakistan after the killing of osama bin laden. >> we are strategic partners with a common enemy in terrorism and extremism. >> but kerry's not totally in sync with obama. he has supported limited military intervention in syria, something the president has resisted. over his 30-year career, kerry has built deep relationships with many foreign leaders. >> there are very few people in our country with greater experience over a longer period of time in foreign policy than senator kerry. >> perhaps kerry's biggest challenge to date is not his confirmation hearings on capitol hill, but rather following in hillary clinton's footsteps who has become one of the most popular officials in the obama cabinet both here and abroad. kate bolduan, cnn, washington. >>> 2012 was a wild year in sports from